Finding Something New
by Nidoran Duran
Summary: After the death of his family and the disaster that was the Battle of Ostagar, Aedan Cousland is full up on betrayal and short on people he can trust. Morrigan gives him something unexpected but relieving in its own odd way, but a Chantry Lay Sister may throw a wrench into the works a little. Commissioned by JViper.
1. Chapter 1

As Aedan Cousland lay in bed and weaved in and out of consciousness, his ragged and disjointed thoughts lingered on the Battle of Ostagar. Betrayal stung worse then the arrow that had glanced his hip and left a deep gash in his side, but as he moved between short, fitful periods of sleep interspersed with bursts of intense pain, it was hardly the treachery of Loghain Mac Tir that kept him awake. In fact, weaving in and out of consciousness, too exhausted to even think about what had happened with any proper depth or examination, the events that had transpired began to weigh much less on his mind than the mere physical toll the battle took on him. At the time, he felt invincible, driven by adrenaline and the purest of survival instincts to fight through the pain and exhaustion, cutting down every last Darkspawn who shambled toward him.

But now, in some secluded cabin in the Wilds, all of that agony came rushing back to him, his body once more aware of its limitations, and seeking in some twisted logic to make him feel everything he'd been ignoring, all at once. The crashing pain come down upon him left him too exhausted to even scream through it, grunts and panting breaths his only way to express the pain whenever it spiked up hard enough to jostle him from his sleep. It left him disoriented, as if the past weeks had not been such a rampant flurry of chaos and change already. Sometimes he struggled to remember why he was being tended to not by his family physician, but a strange black-haired woman who had all the bedside manner of a starving wolf. Even in his haze though, he was taken by her beauty, up until the point she asked him something in a wry and mocking tone, at which point the degree to which her unprovoked sarcasm permeated their interactions took his mind off of the ample amounts of flesh her outfit bared.

Nightmares were inevitable, but he had expected them to be of the battle, of Darkspawn surrounding and overwhelming him and Alistair, leaving the only two living Grey Wardens to fall as their comrades did. Of the king's death played like guilty echoes in his mind over and over. But instead, in an astounding lack of perspective, he dreamt of Arl Howe, of the less grave of the betrayals he'd witnessed in the past weeks. Of the death of his family in the night by someone they all believed a friend. There seemed to be a lot of that going around Ferelden.

When the nightmare reached its feverish peak and shook him from his sleep, he shot upright, gasping as the small room he'd spent the past few days in once again filled his view, unfamiliar enough to immediately shake him from the fear and help clue him into the fact it was all a dream; this little hut was so far removed from Castle Cousland that it jostled him back to reality. It was the first time he'd woken up from anything other than pain, and as he sat, there was no shooting agony up his side.

Standing at the foot of his bed, mashing something with a mortal and pestle that was too high up for him to see, stood the raven-haired woman once again. "Do you ever wake up normally? I don't know much about wardens, but I don't think you or your far less cute friend have had a decent rest since you arrived."

Lying back down, Aedan panted heavily, the dream gone but the thoughts of it still remaining. His family had been cut down, and the order he joined had almost immediately followed suit. It was a prime situation for a rush of guilt and self-loathing, but he decided to throw himself instead into conversation, which he'd had very little of. It would provide a decent distraction, if nothing else. "Usually I'm not struggling with mortal injuries and the deaths of many weighing heavy on my conscience."

"Is that where this 'Oriana' woman comes from?" she asked, placing the bowl at last down by the bedside. Inside of it was a gray-green paste of some sort whose thorough unpleasance made perfectly clear that it was medicine. Not that Aedan was thinking too much about the paste, his face going pale and his tongue planting itself firmly between clenching teeth for fear of what he might say that would certainly be below him as a guest. Thankfully, before his mouth could fill with blood, she added, "I didn't mean to pry, you've been mentioning a lot of names in your sleep, and that's been the one that stuck out to me. And sit up, I need to apply this to your wound."

"She was my sister-in-law," he grumbled, slowly wriggling his way upright, remaining braced against the headboard the entire time. The shooting pain up his spine made it far from comforting, and it drained what little energy he had, but he had faith in whatever slimy goop she was about to coat the wound with. There were a lot of scrapes and aches where his armor had absorbed most of the blow but still left plenty of bruises, but the arrow wound had slowly grown infected, likely from filth of some kind on the arrowhead itself, and bed rest would not help it heal in particular. "Before I joined the Grey Wardens, I had the fortune of watching my family slaughtered by Arl Howe's men, so at the moment I'm all full up on betrayals."

There was the faintest reaction in Morrigan's face, but Aedan caught it before it could vanish once more behind her cool expression. And it was all he needed, really; there was something decidedly awkward beneath her cold and sarcastic exterior, leaving him with a feeling that she wasn't used to be around people who weren't her mother. There was something akin to empathy in that half-second expression that he would accept as her condolences, closing his eyes as she ran her fingers through the gloppy mixture and pressed it into his side.

It was cold in more ways than he'd expected, a tingling chill running along the wound as the fingers pressed a large glob of the unpleasantly coloured paste onto his wound and began to rub it in. Suddenly, the mood had shifted, bucking wildly as Aedan felt soft fingers massaging against his flesh, and regardless of context he couldn't help but squirm a little bit. Looking straight ahead, he kept a straight face and refused eye contact lest she see that his body was trying to read something very, very unintended into her application of the medicine, which let her hide the way the way her eyes full upon his body and the way she struggled with the faintest bit of colour in her cheeks against her intentions or all of the steeliness she could muster.

"Is that peppermint?" he asked, trying to push the awkwardness from his mind as he identified the tingling.

"It will help numb the area," she lied, a faint smile cracking across her lips that she did little to hide as she rubbed it in more firmly. "Relieving the pain is just as important as fighting the infection; otherwise you won't get the rest you need."

"I thought you would have used magic to deal with this," Aedan sighed, closing his eyes as he felt the tingling spread further and further across his body, more than the crushed peppermint's oil carried when it had previously been used on him as a child, not that he knew enough about medicine or herbs to question its effects. He shivered a little as it soothed his body, a wave of comforting, warm sleepiness beginning to wash along his exhausted body. "But here you are, using techniques that I would have expected from a regular doctor."

"Healing magic is such a boring specialization." But she hadn't even finished her piece of banter when Aedan's head slid down to the side, his body going limp and exhausted. "Although you're a fool if you'd think I wouldn't slip some kind of magic into my procedure. Handsome, but perhaps not as bright as I would have hoped."

The herb paste she'd crushed was indeed a medicinal blend meant to disinfect and soothe, but she had a few additional ingredients; namely a root that when it hit the bloodstream would induce certain 'reactions' between one's legs. A sleep spell laid over the whole thing ensured that he would be out cold, not only left as helpless prey for the curiosity of a lonely witch, but also granted the most relaxing and fulfilling sleep he would know since the battle. He certainly deserved the rest, just as she deserved the fun for nursing him back to health for no cost, on her mother's orders.

Slowly, she pulled Aedan's body back downward, his head slipping down into the familiar groove in the pillow formed by his head constantly swaying back and forth, pressing down hard into it through all of his fitful, nightmarish, pain-wracked naps. By the time he was on his back, the key ingredient had taken effect rather heavily, and the blanket laid atop him had became tented as something strained against all the fabric atop it. The witch bit her lip as she realized that there was no turning back now. Not that she wanted there to be; she had merely been working mentally up to this point for quite some time, and was rather glad to finally have a chance to sink her teeth into what she had desired for quite some time: companionship. It didn't have to be an entirely conscious affair, so long as she could feel the sensations that her life of seclusion with her mother induced.

Pulling the blanket away only made the lump fiercer as it sat in the warden's underwear, now rising higher as the heavy blanket was lifted from it. The bulge was impressive; she had some degree of reference from books on anatomy and the like, and what she saw only heightened her interest. "I knew I picked the right warden," she told herself, climbing onto the bed and getting down between his legs, eagerly pulling the small-clothes down as her eyes widened in amazement. Aedan's rigid cock snapped up before her eyes, standing rigid and proving itself to indeed by an incredible specimen. "I don't think I would have known what to do if Alistair was the better endowed of you two," she continued, as if he weren't out cold before her. "I have my needs after all, but I also have my standards."

She didn't seem to think it was a mark of madness that she carried on a conversation with the man she'd put to sleep; she'd carried on conversations with much less lively things before. Reaching forward, she seized his shaft at the base, her fingers gripping the thick shaft and beginning to pump slowly as she felt the warm flesh beneath her hand, surprised by how nice it felt in her grasp, warm and receptive to her touch in ways she hadn't ever imagined it could. With Aedan asleep, she needn't worry about her own inexperience, or fear how many women he'd known the touches of that she would have to compare to; this was her chance to experiment and take him in a context she was fully in control of.

She liked control.

Beads of pre-cum welled up at his tip, swelling before becoming so heavy that they leaned off to the side and trickled down his flesh. She caught some in her hand at the top of her stroke, and though she felt it odd in consistency, she swiped his tip with her hand, getting her fingers a little slicker before she grabbed it again and started to pump a little quicker, drifting her hand instead all the way up from base to tip and back down again. It began to throb in her hand, and she grew more excited with every pump, biting her lip as she watched his dick react, felt it beneath her fingers, and found herself wanting to feel it with another sense.

Her head leaned forward and she took a quick lap at his tip, tasting the slightly salty pre as she licked up another half-formed pearl of it. "You know, you could at least groan or something, let me know I'm doing my job well," she joked at the man she'd put to sleep, who already looked so much more peaceful and rested than he'd been since he arrived. He was still and fairly silent, his expression one of neutral, placid quiet and peace. "Mm, no, I think your body is providing enough of a reward, in fact." She laid a kiss down onto his head as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of his rigid shaft in her hand. "And if I do my job well, I'm going to find what I seek."

Her lips parted, warm breaths washing over the sensitive tip, giving it a moment's slick warning before she took his head past them and wrapped them firmly around. Her pumping had slid back down, several fingers spreading out and bracing against his thigh as she let only her thumb, index, and middle fingers do the stroking, leaving more cock for her lips to tend to. Oral sex interested her more than merely using her hand, which always seemed so odd to her; all those nights by her lonesome, she wished fingers were replaced by an eager and loving tongue, so why should she waste her chance to be with Aedan on a mere handjob?

The whirlwind of events and battle and betrayal that had been Aedan's last few weeks had left him almost no time to tend to his body's needs, and now there was a hot and wet mouth wrapped around his cock, slowly pushing downward, and it was unable to keep from throbbing and aching. Slowly, Aedan did begin to moan, his sleep heavy but his body still alight and aware of what was happening to it, stirring reactions from the unconscious warden. It had been too long and without any conscious effort imposed upon his body, he had no way to suppress or stifle the reactions.

Deeper she drew, feeling his hot flesh fill her mouth, and she couldn't help but join in the moans, shifting and squirming beneath the bed as she slipped into a more comfortable position. One that had her on her knees, bent over his lap and easing her head further and further down, while her free hand slid down to tend to the heat steadily welling betwixt her clenched legs. Her plan all along had been to come onto the sleeping warden, to explore his body and 'acquaint' herself with him. There would likely be no other opportunities to be with a man for quite a long time given the secluded life she led with Flemeth, and she seized the chance before her, but hadn't expected it to set her own libido so heavily alight.

As she sank, she could feel his head threatening entrance to her throat, and her head buzzed with excitement, adrenaline and lust swirling in a dizzying chemical cocktail in her mind as she pressed forward, taking the plunge. She wanted only to take his entire cock into her mouth, and nothing short of that would do; she was going to satisfy these curiosities fully, no matter the cost. It would be nothing but a waste to lament for an eternity to come if she didn't.

His head passed into her throat, and her eyes flew open wide as she gagged on it, the unexpected feeling seizing her by surprise. She was determined and stubborn, but even she had to take a second to gather herself, although there was nothing to build her courage quite like hearing Aedan moan as he felt the tightness of her throat wrapped around his head. Her lips tightened and her tongue slithered around inside of her mouth as she pushed onward, the occasional little choking noise wrenching its way out of her throat as she bobbed her head patiently, letting the pace build for fear of going too vigorous and pushing herself too far. There was a lot to be said for going wildly at it, but she wasn't an idiot; if there was one thing that deserved a careful hand, it was this.

Her patience paid off, the hand on his cock fully slipping away and bracing his thigh as she swallowed down the last inch of length, her other hand still deftly working over her slick folds, pumping into her heat as she let his cock linger hilted past her lips a moment before she pulled up and came back down. She thought she could go quicker now, really go at his cock and suck him vigorously, but she hadn't accounted for the fact his body was too sensitive and that it had been too long, that he was too close under the incredible pleasure of her oral service.

Luckily, Morrigan was at the top of a bob when he came, the vigorous gush of cum hitting the back of her throat and lighting up her tongue as he grunted and shook, sadly unable to know how good he felt in that moment. But she could tell quite clearly, pulling her head up higher as she wrapped her lips more firmly around his shaft, letting his cum flood her mouth, proving to be so voluminous she had to struggle to swallow down as much as she could in the waves of spurts that came. It tasted heavy and salty, but more than anything else, it was virile and powerful. Potent. He was quite a specimen, and she had certainly made the right choice in picking him over the insufferable and stuffy Alistair.

Her own needs had not yet been tended to, but there would be time for that yet. First though, she had a parting gift to leave him, pulling from the bedside table something she'd hidden behind the mortal and pestle; lipstick. A quick once-over of the ruby wax along her lips left them red and painted as she leaned forward again, taking his cock into her mouth but careful to keep them parted wide until she reached the base, gagging once more as he penetrated her throat. She gave a tight kiss to his base, leaving a ring of red laid across the very bottom of his cock to show just how far down she had gone, before loosening their grip and coming back up again.

It was as much a parting gift as it was a way to brag to herself about her accomplishment. She would only have done it had his cock turned out to be impressive, and it had certainly exceeded her expectations. "Sweet dreams," she said softly, slipping his underwear and the covers back onto him, leaving no evidence of her pretense save for the saliva and lipstick smear on his shaft, before she headed to her room to quell her own aches.

Days passed quickly after that. It was only two more before Aedan's infection ebbed and the pain had passed, eased by herbal mixtures Flemeth and Morrigan plied him with. Alistair's less worrisome or dire wounds were cleared up by then as well, and they were ready to set off, but the presence of Morrigan in their adventuring party was unexpected. Not that they had much choice, given how much Flemeth had done for them and the potential usefulness a mage would have brought to the two straightforward warrior types. While Aedan expected them to quibble and snipe at each other, the degree to which the two fought was a surprise he was not even remotely prepared for, but tolerated with resigned sighs, breaking up their arguments when they came but trying for the most part just to keep the peace and stop the intense ones before they started.

It served as a useful distraction from the many things he was left to think about. Mainly, Morrigan herself. Darkly beautiful and, for all of her lack of interpersonal skills, oddly charming with her biting wit. He'd found the lipstick stain and kept quiet about it for uncertainty of what happened and who had left it, but with each passing day she was in his thoughts more and more, and he couldn't keep quiet on the matter forever. At some point, he would have to address it and ask her directly if she was responsible for what he awoke to, but she certainly proved to be less than approachable.

She kept her distance when they set up camp for the night, mostly from Alistair, awkwardly lingering off to the side by her own tent and soaking in the moonlight. Aedan couldn't help but watch her whenever she was, taken by her beauty and by just how much of her gorgeous form her clothes exposed. During his recovery, there hadn't been as much time or emotional desire to appreciate much, his searing vision weaving in and out with his consciousness, and he while he knew she was beautiful, there were other things on his mind. But now, she was there, finding her way into his dreams as he fixated on the lipstick mark and what it meant if she had given it.

Finally, he could take no more, mustering up the courage to stand up and walk toward her. "Morrigan, could we talk for a moment?" he asked once he'd walked up to her, her eyes having caught him and followed him from the corner of her gaze as he walked.

"Yes, but only for a moment, lest my mouth grow tired of moving."

"I don't believe you have it in you to stop talking," Aedan responded. He tried to walk a line with her, since that moment in the bedroom where he'd spoken about what happened before he joined the wardens. She seemed averse to opening up and to sentiment, but reveled in sarcasm in ways that were clearly at least partially defensive mechanisms. Navigating through interactions with her that heavily used sarcasm without coming off as relentlessly insulting seemed like a better way to talk to her in ways she wouldn't pull back from.

The corner of her mouth curled into the tiniest smirk as he met her snark with his own, appreciating the way he approached her with a sharp tongue. She could respect that. "This is true. Very well, you may speak with me."

"I'd like to thank you again for tending to me while I was sick. It's a lot of kindness to show a stranger. But," he emphasized the quick word he slipped in as he could hear her suck in a breath, ready to sigh and complain about his sentimentality or some remark about how if she knew he was this soft that she would have just left him to die. He really didn't want to have to sort out whether it was true or not, for everything it would have done to his attraction. "Something happened that I'm a little confused by, and I'm wondering if you have any knowledge of what happened."

"Although somewhat rare, the occasional incontinence is to be expected," she said, brushing off his remark with more sarcasm, deflecting his question before it went down roads she had not been ready for. Her own attraction toward the warrior was growing, but she was far less eager to explore those feelings, too busy beating herself up for getting emotionally invested in a man who she wanted to care only about the cock of. Anything more than that was complicated and full of normal emotions and mushiness that sat in direct and vehement opposition to the cold distance she wanted to keep. It was all so blatant in her posture, Aedan unable to not notice all the ways in which the possibility of anything between them threw her off.

Aedan watched her gaze carefully for reactions. "No, thankfully that is all running quite smoothly and problem-free. It's that I have reason to believe that while I was asleep, somebody took advantage of me and performed oral sex on me. They even left a lipstick mark. Now, I'm not saying directly that it was you, but there were only two people in that cabin capable of walking that night, which excludes Alistair pretty easily, and leaves only you and your mother."

"Do you not fancy my mother?" Morrigan was in full sarcastic deflection mode, her hands at her side, holding tightly onto her skirt as she thought about where to go with this and what to do. Panic seemed like a viable option.

"Unfortunately, I prefer my crazed, murderous witches a little younger and less gray than that," replied Aedan, throwing subtlety out the window quite forcefully as he watched all of the ways she began to fret and squirm. Somehow, he had expected something sharper from someone who, at first glance, certainly seemed like a femme fatale. This certainly seemed to run counter to that assumption.

"That is a shame; I will inform mother with great regret when next I see her." Her voice almost quivered as Aedan's eyes lingered upon her.

"So then are you saying it wasn't you?"

Morrigan's eyes darted nervously about, mostly toward Alistair, who was looking away from the two entirely. They had the privacy she needed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Come to my tent. I don't wish to discuss such things with him about." Everything in her body language was shaky and uncomfortable, nervous in ways that left Aedan dumbfounded. His guard dropped quite quickly, disarmed by how vulnerable she seemed, and he followed her into the tent, surprised by how quickly everything about her facade had shattered.

Morrigan almost couldn't believe how easy it was, and once Aedan was inside of her tent, the warden found himself flat on his ass, a sultry and scantily clothed witch climbing atop him with a wicked smile on her face. "I didn't think you could possibly have been so easy to trick," she taunted, leaning over him and grabbing his shirt. "Men are always so willing to believe that nothing shatters a woman's personality quite like their penis. That attraction reduces us to simpering, meek little creatures that need to be herded about." Licking her lips, she ground her body down against his groin, seeking to rile him up through the most base of approaches. "But, far from the case, I am still very much in control, aren't I?"

Taken totally by surprise, Aedan stared in shock, lying on the floor of her tent as she sat atop him, taunting and teasing him. He'd been played for a fool with great ease and now she was bragging about it, but his body was too busy screaming at him to notice the fact that the gorgeous raven-haired witch had pulled him to her tent and was now seated comfortably atop his lap. Whether he would pay attention to this exciting fact or not, his blood flow was quick to shift as she moved atop him. "But why wait so long?" he asked, his hands drifting toward her hips, clasping onto them as she began sway and move, enjoying his touch.

"You were clearly in grief, and there is no joy in seducing a man in mourning." She began to slip his shirt upward as she spoke, her smile growing wider as she bit her lip, turning the seduction up hard. "I knew that you would come to me in time with questions, and that would be when you were 'ready'. In truth, I didn't expect to be coming with you; I thought you were merely a captive and sleeping man upon whom I could experiment; it was so lonely living in the wilds with my mother, the only men around being the occasional templars coming to kill us. You were a convenient means to learn something, but now we're here together, and I think I could use some more experience in the matter."

Lifting up off of his body, she slid her hands back down the half of his stomach she'd exposed, grabbing the waistband of his pants and beginning to pull. Aedan helped, pulling his hips upward off the ground as she tugged down, a smile wide across his face. "It would have been easier if you'd just asked. Or did you really want to feel like you had seduced a man who had already become fixated on the fact you had given him oral sex in his sleep?"

"I take my victories where I can find them," she replied as his hands sank a little lower from her hips to her own pants, tugging them and the ruffled, feather-like skirt she wore over it down her legs. She had his pants much quicker though, gripping his shaft and beginning to pump steadily as he finished getting her undressed as well. Once they were both bottomless, a little chill air making her shiver as her exposed, dripping slit quiver in anticipation, she lined his head up with her entrance. "Like this one. This is most certainly a victory."

Aedan gasped as she sank down onto his cock, but she overshadowed it with a cry of sudden, intense sensation. The thick penetration was more than she was expecting, her hand gripping his shirt once more as she braced herself amid ragged breaths. His hands slid back up her hips, further along until he had the hem of her top and was trying to peel it off of her, to get the breasts she already showed the sides of fully exposed to his hungry eyes. "Unfortunately, much less of a one-sided victory than you'd probably like."

"No, I think I can get used to both of us winning." She began to move, replacing the less desirable elements of the intense fullness with friction, sweet and warm, helping to soothe her and let only pleasure filter through. She put both her hands up, letting him slip her top off and expose her breasts, which his hands gladly grabbed, caressing and fondling her as she rode atop him. It stood to reason that Aedan would prove a mode lively lover than he was while asleep, but the vigor and passion in his touch was more than she'd expected, and she couldn't help but moan. There seemed no purpose in wearing a mask or trying to hide it; she wanted him, and she felt good in taking what she wanted. Felt incredible actually; usually she was wary about making the ego of anybody who wasn't her swell up, but it was unavoidable, and pretending she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she was would only lessen the moment.

There was no time for patience on this go around, but that was okay; she was in no jeopardy of losing him this time. She could see it in his eyes; enrapturement, captivation, burning and irresistible attraction. He voluntarily wound himself tightly around her finger as far as she was concerned, and she could do whatever she willed with him. With that in mind, she eschewed passion or slowness, quenching her appetites with him vigorously. She had no time for sap or sentiment; this would be every night. Vigorous, powerful sex, driven by feral lust and devoid of any of the messy emotions she wanted nothing to do with. Just the hot and sticky pussy walls clenching tightly around his incredible penis, pure sensation and bliss leaving her happily exhausted as she went out into the world. She needn't ever address emotions or what she felt for him.

At least, that was how she thought it would be. As Aedan lay below her, enjoying the way she rode his cock like her life seemed to depend on it and her breasts were perfectly settled into his grasp, he couldn't help but linger on the way she looked at him. Certainly like a piece of meat she could use to relieve her hunger, but beneath that lay something else. Morrigan was layers and facades atop one another, but he could see the the affection that she denied, that she pushed away with a deluge of intense sex that, while amazing, wasn't all he wanted. It was a pretty dubious insistence, but he thought better of raising it now, ruining the moment of their first time by bringing up emotions when she clearly wanted to bring up nothing of the sort. He reached for her shoulders and spun around, driving her onto her back as he rolled atop her and seized control of the situation.

The sudden turnaround left Morrigan yelping in shock, but the relentless and pounding thrusts that ensued ensured she wasn't going to fall silent any time soon, surprised and heavy screams of passion filling the tent as he came down feverishly into her. His impatience seemed even greater than hers as he threw his all into the thrusts, and Morrigan was rather glad she'd healed him up enough to not have to fear opening up any wounds, because the vigor he threw into it was more than she could handle. She writhed and howled, nails running down his back through his shirt as she was fucked raw. It was everything she could have possibly wanted.

With his face buried in her neck, Aedan could pepper her with a flurry of kisses, and very eagerly did. Her warm, gorgeous body writhing beneath him sent all manner of sensations and excitements to his head, leaving it swimming and mired in desire as he got a little feral with things, sinking his teeth into her neck. She howled and spasmed under the weight of shock and a rush of minor pain, hurled headlong into release by the unexpected sensation. Her pussy clenched down as hard as it could around his cock, trying to milk his seed as thunderous pleasure coursed through her, an endless stream of profanity upon her lips as he continued crashing down into her, driving her up the wall madly with a release far, far more intense than she'd ever known with her fingers before. He was closed behind, driven by the lewd and ragged sight of Morrigan climaxing beneath him, and to top off her blissful peak was a flood of warmth and stickiness as that same virile and intense seed she'd swallowed down now lay deep inside of her, gush after gush filling her up hard.

They knew Alistair had likely heard them. In fact, half of Ferelden had likely heard them. But in the panting afterglow, with hands clinging to bodies and just wanting to feel something rigid and warm close against them, they didn't care.

"You were rather good," she said softly as his lips pulled from her neck, having laid kisses upon the bite mark until the pain ebbed. "I think we will be doing this more often. Nightly perhaps, with the occasional dalliance during the day when the mood takes us."

Their lips met in a kiss that was far too heavy to be pure lust, and Aedan knew exactly what he was getting into, that Morrigan could insist it was physical all she wanted. He could taste the love on her lips, something she would simply have to come to terms with and accept when the time was right. Until then, at least he would have her to enjoy on a nightly basis, something physical to end his wearying days on until she came around.


	2. Chapter 2

Pressed up hard against the inn room wall, Morrigan was living the easy life. Aedan stood behind her, swiftly rocking in and out of her tight rear as his fingers plunged deep into her slick folds, working her over expertly as her thighs clenched down around his hand. "Mm, however did I live before you came along?" she asked, voice shuddering with lust as, save for the need to press back against him in a bid to feel him plunge deeper into her ass, she was left mostly content and still, the warrior's strong frame pinning her tightly against the wall, her feet dangling a couple inches over the floor.

In the chaos of the weeks since Aedan's first waking sexual encounter with Morrigan, the witch provided relief in a great many ways. Chaos had beset seemingly every last corner of Ferelden, and wherever the party went they found messes that needed to be cleaned up, people in need of help. Aedan had been named leader from the outset by an Alistair shirking the mantle of leadership and a Morrigan who knew her warm and fuzzy personality wasn't cut out to command people, and of course he insisted that each and every last person was worthy of their aid. The endless fights with darkspawn and bandits took a lot out of the group, even as they seemed to gain allies with each town they passed. In each others' arms, they found the intense stress relief of rough, frantic sex, wearing down their nervous, forward-focused minds with so much exertion that even the most fearful of thoughts couldn't keep them from slumber.

Aedan held onto her breast with his other hand, firmly kneading the soft flesh as his hips burned him down to the last vapors of energy he had left in him. The taste of her pussy lingered on his lips even as he bit at her shoulder; this frantic race to the finish was far from their first round of the night, but both knew they were succumbing to exhaustion, that this would be the last, and Aedan did everything he could to help ease himself into sleep. Morrigan never had so much trouble sleeping from her worries, but then she hardly seemed to be taking the troubles of the world onto her shoulders in the way he did, and was content to lie still, held against the wall by his back against hers and the cock spearing her ass. He didn't mind too much if she remained still, since she was doing her job perfectly just by being a gorgeous, twisted woman whose anal walls hugged his length perfectly. Especially after so vigorously riding his lap; she deserved a lazy orgasm.

Quim trickled down her thighs and got all over his hand, mingling with some of his cum from their previous round only moments earlier. It made for an odd consistency that he loved to press into her inner walls, massaging his cum up into her g-spot to draw her cries from her; she was never too lazy to moan. Nobody in camp ever mentioned it, but Aedan was certain Morrigan's vigorous howls of bliss had put their companions on alert about their sex lives, down to the less than share-worthy factors like the frequency and duration of their encounters. Morrigan felt no shame about her volume and what people knew about their sex lives, and slowly Aedan found himself thinking along the same lines, caught up in the raw sexuality of Morrigan, and how incredible it was to listen to the woman so vigorously enjoy their sex.

"Pull out," Morrigan said raggedly, rolling her head back as her feet came back to the ground, sad that her lurid defiance of gravity had to come to an end. "Finish on my back; I don't feel like spending too long cleaning up, and it's easier to handle that mess."

Aedan did as asked, smirking as he bit down on her shoulder and withdrew. "I wasn't aware you liked anything the easy way." His slick cock pressed between her cheeks instead, his fingers twisting inside of her to draw out a sweet cry as he started to thrust, grinding against her rear as he raced toward his end. It wasn't very far away, and her hips began to wiggle, rocking her ass up and down against the underside of his dick, and soon enough he was grunting and jerking forward, sputtering ropes of cum splattering all over her pale back in thick, sticky strands. The warmth of him cumming all along her back pushed her over the edge with him, and soon his fingers were being flooded by a rush of her nectar as she screamed in satiated bliss.

After wiping themselves dry, they settled down onto bed. Morrigan had given up fighting that particular element of things. "The thought of lying in somebody's arms after intercourse has its merits, and as much as I try to not be, I am still human," she explained. It frustrated Aedan greatly, seeing her so stubbornly cling to her insistence that this was purely physical. Everything had a rationale; their kisses were the heated passion of the moment, cuddling afterward was just "a formality"... Aedan knew that Morrigan wasn't used to being around people and was difficult seemingly as a rule, but he wished that they could just push past all of her pretense and excuses to what most certainly lay beneath the surface of her feelings.

His arm slipped beneath her, hooking around and pulling her close to his breathless body as she settled down atop him, seemingly having no compulsions about the way she settled down against his shoulder. There was no time to dwell on how their relationship remained at a standstill just short of actually being a real one, because the second his weary eyes closed, he was asleep.

Of the many who joined the Grey Warden in his journey, Aedan found Leliana to be one of the most interesting of the group, and when everybody set up camp for the night he found himself eagerly listening to her stories. Both those she told in song, her voice sweeter than any songbird who had perched upon the parapets of Castle Cousland, and her own personal tales, told frankly in her normal voice, which with its soft Orlesian accent was just as wonderful to his ears. As they grew closer and closer with each passing night, and she opened up about her real past, that well before she became an initiate to the Chantry she was a 'bard' in a very different sense, explaining how a lay sister knew her way so well around dark corners and knives.

After dinner, the camp spiraled out into life in various corners as everybody found either companionship or solace, as they required it. Alistair sparred with Oghren, Aedan's hound Rabbit was slowly warming up to Sten and receiving some lazy scratching behind his ears from the hulking Qunari, Shale was penitently silent, Zevran polished his knives in his tent, and Wynne and Morrigan had gone off to seek herbs to replenish their rather paltry stores of healing reagents. Leliana sat beside Aedan, looking at the fire as they spoke about one of her tales of Andraste.

"I must say, if there were somebody to sing the stories as well as you do, I may have attended services more often," he remarked. His eyes were on her intently as his hand ran one of his hidden daggers along a whetstone, trying to keep his backup weaponry sharp and ready. "Your way of getting across her teachings is incredible."

It was impossible for his words not to make her smile, and she sat with pink cheeks by the fire. "Thank you, that is very kind. In the cloisters, many of the sisters sing, but few of them ever have the courage to do it for an audience, even after I tried to lead them in song. But enough about me; I've spoken so much of myself all this time, it must be so boring."

"Hardly," Aedan noted, having looked down to his blade for a moment, but his gaze coming back up to hers softly. "You are such a skilled talker, and all your stories, both personal and otherwise, are fascinating. I could listen to you for days."

Closing her eyes, Leliana sucked in a short breath, trying to center herself as her lips formed around a large smile, feeling her chest tighten as he complimented her. 'Again with the kindness. But I find you so interesting as well, even if you are a mystery. I know so little about you before you became a Warden, or how you feel about all the things we have seen."

"I never talked about myself very much, so it's not something I know how to do. If there is anything you want to know, I can certainly answer your questions. Not all of us can be such gifted storytellers." Aedan was a little ashamed to admit it, but he'd become sort of smitten with the songstress, unable to help himself as passing nights found him more and more fascinated by her life, by her dark past and how she escaped it through the most unlikely of twists and circumstances.

Breathing in slowly, Leliana braced herself for a question cutting right to the point. "Very well. If you will forgive the intrusion and how casual this may seem; what is between you and Morrigan? She seems to have little care for privacy at night, but during the day you two do not seem to be lovers at all." She'd been left wondering for weeks how their relationship worked, due in large part to growing sense of attraction toward the Warden, who seemed to embody all of the traits of a noble and romantic hero that her stories had always left her fantasizing about.

The question took him completely by surprise, and gasping as she went right for the important matter. "I-we..." it wasn't exactly an easy prospect to suddenly have to deal with in the least. "To be perfectly honest, even I am not certain what Morrigan and I are. From our first night together, she has insisted that what we have is purely physical, and that hasn't changed. She's distanced herself from everything that could be construed as romantic, and repeatedly reminds me that there are no feelings in what we do."

Leliana's eyes widened a little, gaze averting as she looked to the fire, hid the way she bit her lip. "So then you are not technically in a relationship?"

"It seems that way. I have to believe that if she felt that way about me, she would have done or said something by now." He'd put his dagger down, dropping the whetstone down onto the ground as he sighed. He'd never said these things out loud before, and they hit him harder for finally being let out of his thoughts.

"And do you feel that way of her?" Her fingers fretted with the hem of her blouse.

Shaking his head, Aedan looked off to the increasingly thick forest to the northwest, where the two mages had gone in search of herbs. "I don't think it matters much. If I'll forever be a fling to her, just a man she can satisfy herself with but never love, then what's the point in how I feel? Any attempt to act on romantic intentions has her push me away, it's no use. With so many people I loved dead, there aren't many options for me right now, and if the closest I can get to someone I love is purely physical, then it's better than having nobody."

"You still deserve better than that. Somebody who will love you fully," she said, her gaze shifting away from the flames back to Aedan as his eyes drew in to meet hers as well. As they gazed into each others' eyes, they fell still and silent, the moment lingering awkwardly as hands drifted closer. Leliana's jaw quivered, and she pulled away, breaking the silence first and forcing a hurried, stumbling, "J-just as everybody does," past her lips in an attempt to save what she wanted from happening. Her life had been one of seclusion and sacrifice for so long that even if there were not clear risks to what she wanted, guilt and a fear of being selfish would have pulled her away. "Nobody should be alone."

Aedan knew he shouldn't, but his words were already in the air before he could bite down on them. "That includes you, Leliana." His fist tightened as he looked back to the forest. There was no easy way to go about handling his feelings, but it wasn't difficult to hear the affection in her voice, see the way her cheeks burned as he turned her sentiment back around onto her. Morrigan would not be happy, but more and more he found himself wanting something greater than the witch could offer. Settling for something loveless didn't seem worth it if somebody else could offer him everything he craved. "Probably more than anyone else. You've been through so much and forsake your old life. Seeking reward for your sacrifice may be a dishonest form of goodness, but I would say you have earned something better."

Leliana couldn't believe what she was hearing, but his words seized her, pulled her back from all of her guilt and her desires to sacrifice her happiness again and again after being hurt so much she no longer felt worthy of it. She threw herself at the man, not caring about the cost of her action as she claimed a kiss from him, her first in so long that she had forgotten the thrill of lips against hers, of the welling heat within her body that passion ignited. Although it felt cold from misuse, her heart flared up with brilliant flame as he kissed her back, a hand going around her body as he pulled her in close.

There was always something heavy behind Morrigan's kiss, something that betrayed emotions running deeper than pure lust, but it was a far cry from the frank and open display here, where she threw all of her passion into kissing him, let him see the depth of her feelings for him. Honesty and truth made it so much more fulfilling than trickery and denial.

"Should we have done that?" was the first thing Leliana asked, starting the instant she pulled back. Despite her uncertainty, she held tightly onto him in a way that showed her conflict but also her willingness to look past 'should' for a moment.

"I don't know." Aedan kept honest, about both the right thing, and his feelings. "But I don't have any regrets. And if you don't either, I think that maybe, I don't need to settle for anything less than I deserve."

Leliana's grip around Aedan tightened, heart fluttering as she leaned back in for another kiss. "Will she be upset?'

"Most certainly, but if there is nothing between us, then there is nothing to be faithful to, and she holds no claim to me. When she returns, we'll simply have to be frank with her. If she regrets that, then she shouldn't have drilled into me how casual what we did was; she had her chance." Aedan sighed, almost cathartic as he dealt with the Morrigan issue. It had lingered for so long as a trouble over his shoulders that never had the time to be addressed as he worked to save the world, but at long last it could be taken care of in a way that wasn't how he expected it to be, but simply finding true love with another woman just as beautiful and fascinating seemed a good outcome. "I will not insist we head to your tent, but perhaps if celibacy has grown too tiresome for you..."

She knew they should have waited for Morrigan to return, to tie that loose end up before pursuing something together, but... Oh heavens, it had been too long since she knew the touch of someone else, and she was quick to seize his hand. It was Aedan's trouble to deal with, and if he was willing to risk that for the sake of finding solace with her, then she would gladly accompany him into the throes of bliss.

Hand in hand, they went quickly to her tent, nobody paying much attention to either of them as they slipped in, Leliana quick to kiss Aedan again once they were had privacy. She put more fire into it this time, shuddering as she held tightly onto him, slowly peeling away his clothes. Celibacy had grown indeed grown tiresome for Leliana, whose life before the Chantry had been one far more carnal than her innocent-seeming facade would have let on. From her genuine faith she drew the strength to ignore her urges all that time, but now, removed from the Chantry and with Aedan so warm and strong against her body, she was ready to turn away from that particular life choice. Already her body reveled in its sexual reawakening, no longer merely looking from afar at beautiful people, but now about to once more be taken.

Aedan helped do away with her clothes as well, fingers appreciating every stretch of soft, fair skin as he touched what had previously gone neglected for so long. She quivered and moaned, pressing tighter against him once she joined him in toplessness, her breasts squeezing against his chest hard as she laid hungry, desperate kisses onto his lips. Her need was clear and intense, Aedan happy to oblige as he touched her all over, caressing every inch of her body and fanning the flames within her.

"It has been so long since I done this," she said softly, bracing her hands against his bare chest as she pulled away a little bit, biting her lip and looking at his nude form before her. "I hope my stories have not given you any ideas; I may be vastly out of practice." Her kisses pressed into his chest, her knees pushing forward a little as she gradually sank lower down the warden's body.

But her touch was electric, and he drew in a sharp breath as the fingers trailed down in advance of her lips, running along his inner thighs and brushing gently up the length of his completely rigid, aching cock. "I'll keep that in mind," he grunted, looking down at her with love in his eyes. There was no regret about this; he wasn't betraying anything, because Morrigan had time and again drilled into him that they were fucking solely to relieve stress. Or at least she was, and he was deluded if he thought it was anything different. Leliana offered something else, something more emotional and promising; physical attraction was only an element here, and her love was something he could trust more than Morrigan's lust.

Coming down to her knees, the lay sister was staring down the warden's impressive manhood, her loins stirring in excitement as she leaned forward, giving his head a few licks. His shudder excited her, and she gave him a few more, easily slipping back into something she had been woefully out of practice with, but apparently had never quite lost her talent for. She gripped his base, giving slow strokes back and forth as her eyes remained up at his, meeting her gaze with the return of love, but something a little more raw and naughty beneath the surface. It was certainly hard not to get excited and turned on, finally about to indulge once more in carnal bliss. Her own fingers had simply not managed to excite her, no matter how distant a memory her old life was becoming.

Still, the only way to quell the aching between her legs was with her own touch, at least until she had brought Aedan to release. Then, she was rather certain that the cock she was slowly taking into her mouth would be able to put her fire out with ease. In the meantime, her fingers would have to do, digits sinking into her dripping folds, the taste of the pre that dripped down onto her tongue providing her an exciting thrill that accentuate her touch, gave her something more than fantasy could have, and it was much needed. In her eyes, there was no turning on her faith in this action; the Maker had guided her to Aedan, and by the will of the divine she had fallen in love. There was no coincidence, merely fate, and Aedan was quickly proving to be hers in many ways.

Her blowjob was slow and patient, taking care to savour the warmth and the flavour of the warden's cock as she sank down, lips pursed tightly around his thick shaft. She could have taken him all down, but she wanted to start slower, to let the mood be one of romance and adoration; this was the uniting of two very lonely people who had lost so much and could now find love in each other, and something raw and sloppy seemed out of place. There would be other nights, nights heavier with the musky thrill of lewd and intense sex, but it was not going to be this one, if she had her way.

Of course, "her way" also wouldn't have involved Morrigan stepping in.

Fury boiled in the witch's eyes as Aedan stood paralyzed, his dick in the mouth of a redheaded bard and there really being no easy way to explain this. So much to justify, emotions and decisions to explain that simply couldn't fit into the space necessary to settle down the flaring anger of a powerful mage scorned. Aedan just hadn't expected her to return so quickly, let alone to go seeking him out with such eagerness that she would barge into someone's tend looking for him.

"What is this?" she asked, voice straining in its attempt to remain cool as sparks flared up beneath it, the tops of flames licking at her voice and edging it with suppressed emotion that almost made her sound terrifying.

Leliana pulled away, looking back over her shoulder toward Morrigan with terror and apologies in her eyes. "I am sorry, Morrigan, but Aedan assured me that there was nothing emotional between you and-" It was most certainly not the best way to begin the train of thought that would explain her new relationship with Morrigan's fuck buddy, but she wasn't exactly of clear mind at the moment.

"Oh no, he's right," she said, striding toward the terrified lovers, her eyes narrowing. Her voice was suddenly unwavering in its coldness, detached and cruel without having to suppress any fury. "Aedan and I do not have anything emotional going, and if you do, then I'm very happy for you. Both of you deserve the world, I think." Her long, spidery fingers slid through Leliana's jaw-length hair and guided her face to stare forward again. "Here, let me give you two lovebirds a little gift, from me."

Terror and guilt kept Aedan still, staring into the endless, twisted depths of Morrigan's eyes, to the abyssal flames flickering within them as she shoved the bard forward, making her deepthroat his cock with one swift and quick push. He gasped, hips bucking forward on instinct as she gagged on his length, his jaw quivering as he remained locked in the terrifying gaze of Morrigan staring back at him, containing her rage in something see-through so that he could stand in witness of it. Unable to move, he just stared as the pleasure, the undeniable heat of Leliana's throat around his shaft, made him quiver, his mind torn between the two women and the very different sensations they induced.

"Your first mistake was in trying to be gentle with him," she snarled, continuing to stare at Aedan but speaking to Leliana. "Beneath his shining armor is less sterling a man than you might think, and he enjoys something more carnal than the sappy romance a fool like you would offer." She pulled back hard on Leliana's hair, drawing a choking cry of pain from her as the facefucking began, her grip guiding her back and forth rapidly, leaving her swallowing his cock again and again, each time gagging on it as her throat was plugged. For a mage, Morrigan was stronger than she looked, and used her superior ground to her advantage as she kept Leliana in place and deepthroating him. "If you wish to be his lover, then you will have to learn how to satisfy him properly."

Leliana braced against Aedan's thighs with both hands. She'd been through worse than this, the hazards of her old occupation far more dangerous, and though she was rusty, she handled herself just fine, eyes shut tight as she accepted Morrigan's fury. There was nothing else she could do, after all, and the back of her mind told her that in many ways, this was fighting back. Morrigan wanted to trample all over the mood, but if she held together and brought the man she adored to orgasm with her mouth in spite of the attempt to make her struggle and pull away, she would maintain some modicum of victory in all of this.

"Doesn't she look so pretty?" Morrigan teased, leaning forward and kissing the warden. "Such an adorable face; I'm surprised you weren't fucking it when I came in. She looks like a natural at this too, I can see why you would have fallen for her. Come now my darling, I know you well enough to know that you want nothing more than to feed this scarlet tart everything you have."

Aedan couldn't hold back, guilt welling up as his cock throbbed, breath heavy and ragged as he came, moaning out shamefully. Cum pumped steadily down the lay sister's throat in thick spurts, Leliana doing her best to swallow it all down as his body went slack, his jaw quivering as Morrigan bit down on his lower lip.

Air was something Leliana eagerly sucked down as Morrigan pulled her head back, staring up in defiance at the mage, but also trying to give Aedan a look that said it was all okay. There wasn't much in the way of easily fixing this situation, but she had to try something, and her emphasis was on trying to ease Aedan's mind over trying to appease the cruel witch.

"Now that that's taken care of," she said, releasing Leliana's hair and smirking, "I think it's time we talk. By which I mean, I will talk, and the two of you will listen very closely to me. I don't appreciate surprises, whether you feel bound to me or not, Aedan. You were supposed to be the one with people skills, were you not? But no matter; the inclusion of this red-haired tramp will not change what we have going very much, save perhaps that now she can join in servicing me as well."

Leliana and Aedan were both left rather speechless. It was very clear to them that Morrigan was not as uncaring about this reveal as she let on, but her feelings had been channeled sexually and toward taking control of the scene, asserting herself over both of them. And while Aedan was very unsure about proceeding with what Morrigan wanted, Leliana seemed to take it in stride.

"That would be the easiest way to resolve this, wouldn't it?" she asked, smiling up at the raven-haired woman. "I have to admit, you catch my eye almost as much as he does, and I would certainly not mind having you as a mistress." Looking up toward Aedan, she smiled, and it was not the faint smile of someone trying to make the best of a bad situation, but a genuine and eager one. "You agree, no?"

Aedan couldn't believe what was happening, but soon enough he was being dragged down to the ground by Leliana, Morrigan gladly helping get him on top of the supine bard.

"You heard the woman," Morrigan said excitedly, slipping out of her pants as she looked down at her pretty face, intent on once more getting rough with her. "Let's make this nightingale sing."

Leliana's grip shifted down to Aedan's ass, trying to pull him into position, and then once he was there trying to get his cock inside of her. Her heat was unbearable, only worsened by Morrigan's debaucherous presence, darkly sexual in a way that the lay sister couldn't help but find infectious. Lust seized her at the thought of having a threesome, at finding the middle ground for Aedan where he could be with both women he loved and find with each of them what they could offer him while also being able to take the mage's raw sexuality for herself. There was nothing lost in this arrangement, and so she gladly parted her lips as Morrigan slowly sank down to straddle her smiling face.

Years of celibacy left Leliana's pussy incredibly tight and desperate for something warm and thick to ease its bottomless hunger. Sucking a man off for the first time in an eternity and having a beautiful but cruel mage pull on her hair had left her slick as well, and the combination made the Gray Warden shudder as he sank into her. Morrigan was just as corruptive an influence over him, and as his first thrust into her was heavier than he intended, so far removed from the gentle and loving first time he imagined having with her. With Morrigan stripped before him, sitting on the face of his new girlfriend and demanding she eat her out, the mood was anything but gentle and loving.

While he should have felt bad about that, the first slam back into her had her hot, soaked inner walls clinging to him, trying to suck his cock down deeper, and he couldn't find it within him to dwell on what could have been. Not when Morrigan was grabbing his head and dragging him down into a heavy, sloppy kiss as they took his girlfriend in unison. One hand remained on the redhead's hip, but the other seized Morrigan's breast, squeezing it as he drew a low moan from her lips that vibrated within his kiss. Of all the loud mage's many reactions to things, moaning into his mouth was by a long shot his absolute favorite.

Morrigan took it rather well, all things considered. A pretty little bard eating her pussy certainly helped matters; Leliana was far better at eating a woman out than Aedan was, likely from having a depth of experience in the matter. Her tongue was certainly not rusty at all as it lapped at her folds, hitting the most sensitive of places with ease. The mage ground down against her lips, riding her face backwards as she kept her attention focused on Aedan. Her jealousy dictated she not let him go, that she not take his new relationship with Leliana as a way for him to escape her grasp; he would be hers, and in this capacity had only found someone with whom he could return all those feelings she insisted she didn't want. Someone who they could both enjoy. As far as Morrigan was concerned, a toy.

Leliana never thought she would be in this position once more, but she threw herself nonetheless into the familiar feeling of a man plunging deep into her, thrusting madly into the hot, aching heat of her snatch as she leaked freely all over the ground, a woman bucking frantically atop her face. Morrigan's weight was down on her lips perfectly, but Leliana was a needy woman run ragged by these two sexual creatures, and her hands quickly grabbed the witch's ass, holding tightly onto her rear and trying to pull her down even tighter as she devoured her, loving the tart taste that thrilled her mouth and how perfectly the two of them seemed to click with her. She hadn't expected it to fall into place this well, but she quickly found that as far as threesomes she'd been in went-and there were a great many in her old days-this one had likely the most sexual chemistry between participants.

Their fervid writhing together, with hands going everywhere and so much sexually charged frustration in the room, swift release seemed inevitable, and nobody held back. Leliana came first, her stamina not what it used to be at all-although with their relationship almost being polyamorous it seemed likely she would soon fix that little downside-and the moment too overwhelming for her to take. She cried out loudly into Morrigan's thighs, just as loud as the witch but with a sweeter, more musical tone, and Aedan realized with terror that he now had two screamers in his midst as her vaginal walls clenched down hard around his shaft and began to try and milk him dry. Unable to resist, he obliged, slamming balls-deep into her and flooding her neglected pussy with all the thick spunk it craved, satisfying its thirst for the moment. His thrusts stuttered and his kiss became sloppier, and Morrigan was quick to join her lovers, howling as passion burned throughout her long form. She and Leliana burned together, shuddering and twisting excitedly as orgasms left them tingling and raw.

Everyone disengaged, and quickly the three of them found their way to bed together, Aedan lying between the two women as each claimed a side of him.

"I believe this new arrangement will benefit all of us quite well," Morrigan said with a smile. "You two can have your disgusting romantic entanglement, and I can reap the physical benefits of it all."

Aedan stared flabbergasted up at the top of the tent, unable to believe what he was hearing. Even with Aedan entering in a relationship with another woman solely due to the utter lack of romance he was finding with her, she was still stubbornly hiding it all and wrapping her jealousy and denial up in the framework of a casual threesome arrangement. There seemed no way to solve the frustrating mess that was Morrigan's feelings for him, but at least now he had Leliana, snugly up in his neck, whispering, "I love you," as she sank down into sleep's warm embrace. It was hard to remain hung up on Morrigan and her coldness when he had someone he loved just as much, who could be open with him, who he could have a future with instead of orgasms, as good as those orgasms were.

Leaning toward her, he planted a soft kiss down onto Leliana's forehead. "I love you too," he whispered, following her into sleep as he made his choice.


	3. Chapter 3

"It would be simply terrible if you were to die. For Leliana, of course." Morrigan said, having made her case for a ritual that would have allowed the Archdemon to be slain without the need for a Warden's sacrifice. Aedan had decided he would be the one to sacrifice himself, as Alistair had agreed to wed Anora for political reasons and would assume the throne, leaving only Aedan as a Grey Warden capable of stopping the blight once and for all. "I implore you to take this offer; for your life with her, for the sake of rebuilding the Wardens, and-"

"And so you run off with a demigod in your womb to wreak untold havoc?" Aedan was furious with Morrigan, not even because of her plan to save his life or the thought of her raising some destructive and powerful force, because it was a time of desperation and thanks to Loghain's treachery there were very few options, so a difficult choice was heavy upon his mind. Alistair had deferred to him, insisting that whatever decisions he made, the Ferelden crown would stand by them and that royal support would help rebuild the order. Aedan needed to be there for that, and this was a way out of that. No, what angered him was Morrigan's claim that this was the only reason that she had followed after him, that after months of being with him, she was ready to up and leave, never admitting to any emotions, never just accepting him or saying the words he wanted to hear.

Morrigan stood her ground. "I raise a powerful being responsibly and away from all the forces that would seek to corrupt it! I can protect, guide it. What I do with it afterwards is of no concern to you, and if you are monstrous enough to kill an infant then I'm sure one day you will find me with an army of your new Wardens and you can do the job there, but don't scorn me for finding a way that I can spare your life. That's more kindness than I've shown any soul before."

With clenched fists, Aedan groaned, leaning back in his chair. The fury boiled and bubbled up within him. "It's sentiments like that which are exactly why you can't be trusted with this responsibility. What, you'll raise it in a small hut in the woods? Just like your mother did? Turning out another emotionally stunted witch unable to function in the real world without being babysat? Oh yes, I think we need another one of those around, but with the powers of the Archdemon!"

Eyes narrowing, Morrigan spoke clearly, biting each syllable for emphasis as she made clear that she was not playing around. "You've heard my offer. Either one more night with you and your little songstress tart, and then I stay for the battle that you will most certainly need my help for, or I vanish in the morning. You never see me again either way, but I'm offering to give you a memory to cherish. Whether you choose to accept or not is your decision; I will return tonight to see if you've made up your mind." On that, she turned on her heel and moved swiftly out of the room, not letting Aedan get in another counterpoint as she left him to soak in his decision.

Aedan wanted to throw something. Wanted to break something. This was all so ridiculous. All the time Morrigan spent with them, and she seemed perfectly content to walk out once it was all done; did everything really mean nothing to her? Or could she just uproot herself without a care in the world? He felt justifiable in his frustrations; Morrigan had remained a hanger-on in his and Leliana's relationship, referring to herself as their mistress as she joined them almost every night in bed, ever-present in their lovemaking and their breathless snuggling. She never left, and in fact, Aedan didn't really know what a relationship with only Leliana would be like, as the witch remained a factor, stubbornly insisting that she was only there for the pleasure and 'something to do'.

He hated that he was conceding to her, but he found himself unable to think of a reason to say 'no'. If her spell worked, he wouldn't need to die, and he was worth much more to the world alive than dead. Alive, he could rebuild the Wardens, help repair all the damage the Blight and Loghain had caused to Ferelden, and give Leliana the happy, retired life she had earned for all of her troubles. Not to mention, it would give him one final night with Morrigan, a last hurrah before he had to reexamine his relationship and work out a new dynamic between just him and Leliana. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be much more sensible, and perhaps he could finally stop loving two women, one of whom clearly wanted nothing to do with him emotionally.

He knew he was going to hate himself for it, but he knew that he'd have to say yes to it, push aside all of his emotional turmoil for one last night and vigorously enjoy every second he would have left with Morrigan.

"I'm going to say yes," he said, looking at last to Leliana. His girlfriend had been sitting there for quite some time, merely listening to the argument that she felt wasn't hers to have; in both directions of the issue, it was Aedan's life in the balance, whether or not he should sacrifice himself for the greater good, and she refused to colour that decision, seeing the nobility in sacrifice but also knowing that in once more opening herself up to the fulfillment of her desires, she didn't want the man she loved to die for the rest of the world's sake. A life of piety had put that weight heavy upon her, and she refused to be a part of the process. "We'll have one more night with her, and then once this fight is over, we're going to have our life together, just the two of us."

"I'd like that," Leliana said, smiling as she kept neutral on the matter of his decision, merely noting the outcome she approved of. "But if that is the case, then I have something to ask of you as well."

"You don't want your own demigod demon child, do you?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Not quite, but... If we will indeed settle down together, then I think I am ready to retire from adventuring, and if so, I want to have your child as well. Please, try to impregnate me tonight along with Morrigan, I wish to bring some light soon into this world after we have pushed out the darkness."

In contrast to Morrigan, Leliana's request to be given a child brought a smile to Aedan's lips, and he pulled up from his chair, striding over toward the bed and giving his redheaded lover a long, slow kiss. "I love you," he said lowly."

"I love you too," was all he needed to hear back, and it sounded so sweet in her faint Orlesian lilt. "And take it from another woman, one whose entire life has been about reading people; she loves you, even if she isn't certain what love is."

When Morrigan came to his and Leliana's room that night, there was an unspoken agreement to treat this like any other night, to ignore the circumstances around that, leave them unmentioned as they spent their last night together with the focus entirely on the passions and pleasures one final time. They began with kisses going in every direction as hands moved to undress each other. It had taken months for them to adequately learn how to handle trying to undress two people at the same time, but they'd finally found the groove and were able to easily strip everyone down, taking their sweet time as they let the grasps playfully become distracted at virtually every opportunity, cupping Morrigan's breasts, kneading Leliana's ass, and teasing just about everywhere on Aedan that wasn't his cock. It would be getting plenty of attention in short order, so there was little need to go all out with it quite yet.

Leliana leaned firmly against Morrigan, kissing the tops of her breasts as her fingers sank further and further downward along her lean body, intentions flickering in her eyes as she sought to get the most out of her night once more. Of the two girls, Leliana had been the most keen to do things with the witch all on her own, finding the witch rather beautiful and eager to know everything about her, to memorize her body with her lips, and while it had taken some time, eventually Morrigan came around as well. "For the optimal chances of fertilization, the first rounds should be his attempts to impregnate us, no?"

"Very good," Morrigan said, a little bit of snark and patronization behind her words as her own fingers ran through Leliana's soft red hair and down the crease of her squirming form. "Yes, it would be best if we move on ahead to the main event and end on the foreplay, as strange as that might sound. There's a goal here tonight, and time, not to mention precious seed, simply cannot be wasted on our faces."

"In that case..." Leliana's hands drifted further down to Morrigan's legs, parting them wide as she slid out of the way, leaving her slick pussy on display for Aedan. "Come enjoy her, my dear. She needs it more than I do right now, and look how eager she is." Her mound glistened in the candlelight, a thin layer of her nectar lying atop her labia; she'd been expecting this, and was already quite riled up for the occasion, soaked with anticipation for the grand finale of their little fling.

Throwing himself headlong into everything he could that night in the name of fucking away all of his worries and fears, Aedan pushed forward, slipping between Morrigan's legs as Leliana grabbed a hold of his cock and guided his tip up toward her slick entrance. He wasn't going to think about any of the problems surrounding this situation, or even its necessity due to the battle soon upon them, but instead, he'd think about the two beautiful women who he'd been blessed by the Maker with, who shared his bed every night for so many months, who gave his troubled and suddenly very different life, devoid of loved ones, renewed hope and light. Their passion and affection had made better a very dark time for him and for the land, and even if one of them would be gone soon, her impact on his life would never be forgotten.

Aedan sank into Morrigan, the witch drawing a heavy breath inward as she felt him ease into her, the sudden tightness as appreciated as always. Her primed, soaked pussy was ready for him, and he glided effortlessly into her as her parted legs wrapped around his waist, trying to drag him in deeper. "Mm, how kind of you to let me go first, songbird," Morrigan said softly, reaching a hand up and stroking the redhead's smiling face as it came down toward her for another kiss. "I think you've earned yourself a thorough devouring with that gesture." She smiled coyly, lying back and offering up her face for Leliana to enjoy, remembering when she first climbed onto Leliana's own and vigorously rode her in her fury for finding Aedan with her. Oh, how far they had come in both exploring her sexuality and in helping her manage her intense jealousy.

As Leliana straddled her face backwards, giving her a full view of the witch getting fucked, Aedan provided the fucking in question, his hands on her hips and keeping her squirming at a minimum as he held her down against the bed, wanting her to keep still as he got thrusting. If this would truly be his last time, it was going to be a vigorous one. Morrigan preferred it harder, and so harder she got it, his hips working powerfully to rock into her, lavishing in the soaked, warm walls clenching down desperately around his cock, already trying to draw his seed from him as they hungrily sought to fulfill the biological urge she was acting upon. He suspected magic was at play for just how much it clung to him, how unusually tight and hot she was, but he wasn't going to complain about her filthy tricks when they worked out so well in his favour. Especially when she'd made so many that worked out much less desirably.

His thrusts didn't help the squirming at all. She was on fire, whatever spell she'd likely used also being responsible for a sudden rush of sensitivity and need that now seized her firmly, made her writhe on the bed sweetly as she was taken. His hands had to press down harder, forcing her against the bed harder to still her. She liked it that way, a little forcefulness to impose a stronger person's will upon her own, even if she would always call it his brutish simplicity once the deed was done; he'd seen the way she bit her lip whenever he or even Leliana restricted her movement in some way, both of them overpowering the witch with relative ease and using her for their own gains. She adored it, but much like everything else, she simply had to be difficult about the matter, stubborn and insistent that it didn't leave her thoroughly soaked.

Morrigan's hands seized Leliana's ass, grabbing the taut cheeks tightly and pulling her down hard against her eager lips. If it was to be the last time she enjoyed the bard's pussy then she was going to savour every sweet second of it, licking and kissing her folds all over as she sought to thoroughly savour the experience one last time. Her labia quivered beneath her tongue, slowly trickling down a little quim that thrilled the witch's taste buds. She understood that Leliana now sought a child too; not a semi-divine being of power, but a run of the mill and bland child, one that signified quiet, comfortable bliss with someone. Not exactly her thing, but she decided to help Leliana along as a parting gift for the couple who had been so welcome to her all this time.

Drawing her will inward, she focused her power onto the tip of her tongue and got to work, shoving her tongue deep into the former lay sister and getting to work. She worked a spell deep within her, licking her vaginal walls to sign the marks of her incantation. Drawing the spell out one lick at a time not only let her sneakily impart the magic unto her, but it drew the sweetest of moans from her lips, feeling just like a rather oddly directed eating out. But it was more than that; a fertility spell to not only temporarily heighten Leliana's sensitivity and libido, but to almost ensure that she would be with child if Aedan came inside of her. She had the same one cast upon herself, written with her fingers before she arrived. It would ensure that they all got what they wanted before parting, the happiest possible ending for the three of them.

Her focus snapped back to what she wanted, and to the hard cock pounding her raw to give it to her. Aedan's thrusts were intense, his balls slapping against her rear cheeks as he threw all of his energy behind one final fuck, and for that he was rewarded with her stubborn insistence that she move. Leliana now had her midsection pinned down, massaging her stomach as Aedan refused to let go of her hips, but her legs squirmed about and her ankles dug into the Warden's back almost confrontationally. Her moans simply couldn't be contained by Leliana's loins no matter how tightly they squeezed her head or how hard the soaked pussy lips pressed against her mouth; nothing in the physical realm was going to muffle these cries, intense and sweetly drawn out by the magic she'd laid upon herself without a single regret. It felt amazing, her body radiating sweet waves of shimmering bliss before she'd even gotten off.

Almost certain there was magic in play, Aedan didn't even care, because his cock was getting sucked in desperately by Morrigan's folds, almost refusing to let him go each time he pulled back and her legs tightened around him, making the clenching heat he thrust back into even sweeter. This was perfect, and for a final time with her, he was glad it was one so powerful, so intense. The moans the look of utter elation facing him as the magic already sank into Leliana and intensified the feelings of the tongue lapping at her folds. The songstress had never known cunnilingus this good, unaware that the magic was making it more powerful and not that the witch had just been holding out incredible oral skills until the last minute. She wouldn't even have cared about the real reason, biting her lip and purring as she stared at her boyfriend, enraptured.

Morrigan came with a ragged and unearthly howl, screaming into Leliana's loins as she felt bliss and twisting sensation seize her, magic thumping against her every nerve in a pulsating rhythm that drove her completely mad. Arcane fire burned in her blood as her vaginal walls clamped down on Aedan like a vice, her legs wrapping tight around him and refusing to let him go, leaving him balls-deep inside of her spasming hole as she danced beneath her two lovers. His orgasm followed, unable to resist the pressure as he grunted, leaning forward to kiss a ragged Leliana as he flooded her womb with a gush of hot, potent cum that, thanks to the magic, would most assuredly give her what she sought.

It took almost a minute for her vaginal walls to unclench and release Aedan, the warrior gasping as he withdrew and found no trickle of intermingled fluids leaking out. It was nothing but clear nectar; she'd practically sucked his entire load into her body. It was the promise that a spell had been involved, but Aedan didn't care enough to argue, letting his still rigid cock rest against the witch's thigh as he shared a few more kisses with Leliana before the songstress finally pulled off of him.

As Leliana did, an emptiness came over her. A strong, potent lust that made her gasp, seizing her by surprise. "Aedan!" she gasped, jaw quivering as she rolled onto all fours and presented herself like she was in heat. "I cannot take much more, please do not wait for my turn." Quivering, she realized what was likely to blame, turning her head to the satisfied Morrigan lying on her back with a smile plastered across her face. She spat, 'What did you do to me, witch?"

Rising slowly, Morrigan purred, stroking her cheek. "Just a little fertility spell, my gift to you. I do hope you'll enjoy it, even if at the moment you likely feel a bit uncontrollable in your lust." She laughed to herself, reaching down between Leliana's legs to feel how much wetter she'd become in only a few seconds, her pussy now steadily trickling quim down onto the bed below. "Oh yes, it looks like you are fully primed and the spell is finally in effect. You had best hurry Aedan; she will hardly be able to hold together much longer."

"Please my love, do not leave me like this!" Leliana pleaded, and sure enough, there were hands upon her hips immediately after she shouted, ready to quell her aches. She couldn't articulate her anger, too busy feeling the magic drive her need, and the only cure for it would be to feel him cum inside of her. She tried to speak again, this time to hurl whatever fury she could muster, even if it were just noises, toward the witch, but the same fingers that had run along her folds to test her readiness were shoved into her mouth, Morrigan openly toying with and taunting the bard with a wide smile. There was nothing Leliana could do about it, but as she tasted her own juices on the digits, she found herself too busy moaning to even be angry, her mind searing with lust.

Aedan pushed into her quickly, hoping to quell her fire, but all it did was make Leliana howl needily around the digits. "What did you do to her?" he asked Morrigan, managing to get across Leliana's questions and anger for him.

"Oh calm down, my love. I did not do much; it's the exact same spell I laid upon myself, she's simply unable to handle the temptation as well as I can. Once you give her body what it desires, she will calm down." She steadily fingerfucked Leliana's mouth, finding that the muffling added a nice depth to her moans as they grew more intense and ragged. "I simply wanted to give you one last gift; a child of your own to raise. Well, that, and I wanted to watch you have to ravage the little songbird until her eyes rolled back. Never have I had patience for how slow you two are, and hopefully this will fix that; I hardly want my last night here to be drawn out by you two slowly kissing and taking forever to get off."

Aedan couldn't believe Morrigan's attitude, but there was nothing he could do but fuck Leliana, to go at it hard with the redhead to try and give her what she needed as quickly as possible. To quell the spell's effects as quickly as possible and help bring her down from the heights of unbearable bliss. They didn't sound like a bad place to be, but watching Leliana quivering on fire before him, it certainly didn't look quite so one-sidedly wonderful. She couldn't stay still, squirming even more vigorously than Morrigan had as she lacked the control to fully contain herself, surrendering to the feral ravages of sensation, which only grew more powerful as Aedan thrust into her, the rapid pass of his cock in and out of her dripping pussy inching her closer toward both satisfaction and madness, growing stronger alongside her own appetites and fervor.

Withdrawing the fingers, Morrigan brushed some locks of hair out of Leliana's face. "You're not still mad at me, are you? It feels much too good for grudges to be held right now, I hope." She planted a lurid, sloppy kiss onto the redhead's lips, smug about one last final, playful little spell thrown in the bedroom for good measure. "And perhaps you'll even consider some harder sex once I'm gone, since you finally know just how good it feels. Please storyteller, tell me everything. Vividly." Another kiss pressed hard into her cheek, leaving a red lip mark on her soft, fair skin.

"Oh, maker!" Leliana cried, biting her lip as the kiss broke. "I'm on fire all over, and the more he tries to put out the flames the harder they rage. I feel it all over, it's... It's so powerful!" Her Orlesian accent had never sounded so thick before, overpowering and threatening to muddy what she said as it wavered up and down amid all of her moans and cries, barely able to stay in the same octave.

If Aedan were being honest with himself, watching Leliana be so torn by lust that she was run ragged was incredibly hot to witness. His grip on her hips tightened, fingers squeezing her hips as he watched in amazement at the way she twisted and danced, set aflame, and was left wondering how Morrigan had somehow been able to control herself when in everything else about lovemaking, the mage was nothing if not decadent and selfish. She'd contained herself far too well, while Leliana threw herself carelessly down into the fire, her body beginning to shift as she greedily pushed back against his cock, wanting to feel him deeper with her more often, hating the ensuing hollowness that followed whenever he pulled out. It was unbearable and she simply could not tolerate not having him deep and rigid inside of her at all times. It was the only way she felt that she could tame the passions threatening to tear her asunder.

Morrigan reached down her body, pressing a single finger onto the bard's clit and rubbing it furiously to aid in the pleasure, to help her along. It was the least she could do, considering she'd lit the flames that now consumed her. Back and forth in vigorous, swift motions, she tried to keep vaguely around the fervid pace with which Aedan fucked her, familiar with it because it was the one he'd reached from the insistences he give her a proper rutting. Now it was Leliana's turn to feel the fervid pace that Morrigan had adored so much, another layer to her little gift, one she wouldn't know the end result of, but given the way the redhead moaned and wrapped her lips around one of Morrigan's nipples as breasts were shoved into her face said that she was enjoying herself quite a bit.

The intensity of her situation, with her head spinning and dizzy, raw sensation overwhelming her senses in a way she never thought possible, ensured Leliana's orgasm came crashing down upon her. She screamed and nothing earthly could stop it, her eyes rolling back as searing hot bliss ran through her blood, her heart pumping rapidly as she shuddered in the electric sensation surging all along her body. Once more, Aedan found himself seized by the tight and furious grip of vaginal walls, milking another orgasm from him as he shouted, buried deep inside of her, this time leaning forward and trying to plant kisses onto her shoulders as they wriggled every which way. She couldn't take this. Especially when Morrigan pulled back and demanded, "Sing for me." Oh, how she sang. The most ragged and desperate of songs, of moans forming notes all their own in a song without rhythm or tune.

But as she felt the hot seed fill her, the fire finally abated, and Leliana gasped, slumping forward against Morrigan as she was left breathless and floored, unable to handle just how powerful that release had been. She couldn't believe it, but the first words past her lips were, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Her arms wrapped around Leliana, both women surprised by the warmth and affection behind the embrace as they lingered in an odd moment together. One of understanding and warmth, before finally she said, "Now that Aedan has given us what we want, perhaps it's time to give him his."

Both womens' eyes shifted over toward the Warden, who couldn't help but smile as he knew exactly what they were going to do well before Morrigan grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down onto the bed. He didn't struggle or fight it, gladly settling onto his back as Leliana lay between his legs and Morrigan came in from the side, leaning her head over his lap as they sought to end their final threesome by giving the man they loved his absolute favorite activity; a double blowjob.

Morrigan wrapped her hand around his cock, purring as she leaned forward, licking at his tip where she could taste both womens' pussies and his cum heavy upon his sticky flesh. She adored the way everyone's flavours mingled together, the treat to her tongue that was the gooey amalgamation of the threesome's work and effort tied up neatly into one lurid flavour. She moaned, parting her lips and taking three inches down in one go, letting him sit in her tight, hot mouth as she suckled on his tip, her eyes lidded and staring right at the warrior as she went.

Leliana stuck to his base, licking and kissing lower, where the taste of his seed was almost non-existent. She adored the mingling of tastes just as much, moaning as she used her hands to keep his thighs spread, slowly massaging them as she got it easy; Morrigan would be sucking him down, all she had to do was kiss his dick and moan and a lot. Comparatively speaking, she had it easy, and never once complained about that fact; she'd been on the top of such a blowjob before, and Morrigan liked to guide her head further down and faster than she would have liked, so being able to seize the easier position was merely a precaution against the roughness that the witch thrived on.

Although, after getting pounded, she was beginning to see its benefits.

Lying back, Aedan moaned as he felt the two eager mouths servicing him, his hands gladly threading their through hair as he let them work, not guiding them in any way. He preferred to let them go at their own paces, trusting that whatever they chose, whatever they thought would best get him off, likely would. They hadn't steered him wrong yet, after all. In fact, the greatest pleasure to be found was in letting them go at their own paces; Morrigan quick and impatient, sucking his cock down further and further, fearlessly deepthroating his girthy shaft and slobbering all over him as she got messy and rough, while Leliana made slow, careful licks, precise in knowing exactly where to go to make him feel best, but with the restraint not to throw everything at him at once. The combination and the contrast were a surefire way to do him in swiftly, and he loved it.

Leliana could tell that Morrigan wanted to go all the way down, to deepthroat his entire length, and she was almost out a place to go, until she decided to get risky and a little dirty. Dipping her head, she trailed her tongue down from his base to his swollen ballsac, and began licking there, trying something new and hoping it would pay off. The surprised moan and the dig of fingertips into her head told her that it was succeeding, and she she put a little more into it, moaning as she licked his balls, unable to believe that she was truly doing it, such a lurid act that she would never think herself capable of, but her head buzzed and perhaps the lingering effects of the spell upon her libido were making her more adventurous.

As much as she wanted to make some comment about the little tart finally getting dirty, Morrigan was too busy sucking him down inch by inch, her throat so hot and accommodating to his cock as she sank further and further down, intent on giving one final parting gift, the one she'd meant to from the very beginning. Things had gone different than she planned them to, and she had no regrets about what she'd done and the world she'd seen, so far beyond the secluded life she'd known before. She'd enjoyed herself greatly, despite all the struggles, and this final mark would seal the deal.

At his base, she wrapped her lips tight around his shaft, rubbing them in as she gave a big kiss and a gag at the same time, leaving a ring of red around the bottom of his shaft before coming back up and getting to work, rapidly bobbing her head as she tried to do him in swiftly, facefucking herself for one final thrill and the gooey payoff that came with it.

"N-now!" Aedan shouted, so close that only a single words' warning was necessary. The girls pulled up and away from his cock and balls, lining their faces up with his tip and smiling as their fingers locked together around his shaft, both of them stroking him furiously as they sought to get him off. It was a sight he couldn't resist, and with one final grunt, his last load of the night splattered across their faces, painting their features in his cum. His mind didn't dwell on the fact it would be their last together, instead lavishing in all of the wonders of the feeling, in the wet tingle lingering on his balls from where Leliana had licked there-she would have to be do that again, he noted-and the realization that Morrigan had left another lipstick print on his base. This was a time to be happy and to enjoy the final moments, especially as the girls faced one another and began to swap his seed luridly for his eyes only.

"I'd hoped to escape in the chaos of the celebration," Morrigan said, refusing to look at Aedan as she stared down the road out of the castle.

"Without a goodbye?" Aedan asked, standing behind close behind her, trying to keep his breath steady even though he'd had to run quite far upon realizing Morrigan had made off.

"I'm not good at those. Not good at very much of anything when it comes to dealing with people, in fact. You've made that abundantly clear." She gripped her staff too hard, knuckles turning bone white as she continued to look forward, afraid of what she would do if she turned back. "'Emotionally stunted witch unable to function in the real world without being babysat,' if I remember correctly."

Aedan knew she was trying to turn his words against him to make him turn away, to leave in frustration and let this all go over so easily. He couldn't, but even knowing what she was doing did little to make it hurt less. "You're hardly proving me wrong right now. The Archdemon's corpse is still warm."

"Then what do you want me to say?' she snarled, finally turning on her heel to face him, knowing that it wouldn't make anything easier, and would in fact make many things a great deal harder. "I'll give you your goodbye if you'll be off now and leave me to my life. We had an arrangement and you're now refusing to stand by it."

"I want you to say what you've refused to all this time."

It was what Morrigan had been afraid of, her chest tightening as she looked at him, quivering with fury. "Very well. If it will get you to leave, I will admit it. I loved you."

"Loved?"

"Loved. It's best that I get used to the past tense, for we shall never see each other again." Her voice wavered as she admitted it to herself; she was already trying past him for her own sake, but putting it to words certainly made it sound cold. "I do not mean to sound callous, but I've already become too attached to you, and I can't allow this to go on any longer. I'm sorry Aedan."

"I love you too," he said, refusing to follow her suit with the past tense even as she turned away and started down the road, walking forevermore out of his life. He wanted to be upset. Wanted to hurt and cry and let out the emotions that were boiling up inside of him with each step she took away from him, each one bringing her further and further from a life with him, a life that he had hoped she would have chosen at the last minute. But he couldn't. She'd finally admitted it, finally came out with how she truly felt, and as he watched her go, he found the strength in that to overcome his pain, at least for the moment. Hearing her say those words was all he'd wanted for months, and while now he wanted something else entirely, there was no point dwelling on the past, when what she'd given him all along was the strength not to.


End file.
